You don't have to inch along the string (you're used to programming in C, right? ;-) If the command and optional parameter are alphanumeric, just do this:

if ($stripped =~ /\.(\w+)\s+(\w*)$/)
{
    ($cmd, $parameter) = ($1, $2);
    # Other stuff....
}
[download]

In general, if you want to take a string apart in Perl, regexes are much easier. More info at perlop (look for "quote-like operators") and perlre.

HTH